A Girl Named Faithful Plum by Richard Bernstein Read Free Book Online Page B

the shoots and pulled it up. A pale carrot-colored thread came out of the ground, a dark skinny thing, more like a rat’s tail than an edible vegetable.
    “They’re too young,” Zhongling told Zhongmei, who was standing inside the open backyard door.
    “Try that one,” Zhongmei said, pointing down the carrot row. “That one looks bigger.”
    “They’re probably all the same,” Zhongling pleaded.
    “Go ahead, try just one more.”
    Zhongling pulled out another carrot top, but again there was only the stringy hint of the carrot to come.
    “That one over there,” Zhongmei shouted, pointing again.
    “It’s no use,” Zhongling protested. “They’re too young. Mama will be angry when she sees—”
    “I’m starving!” Zhongmei screamed. “Pull that one out!”
    “Oh, dear,” said Zhongling, eager as she usually was to do something to please her troublesome little sister, and pulling out carrot shoots one by one, hoping to find at least one big enough for Zhongmei to eat. After a few minutes, she had entirely uprooted both rows. Then, seeing the mess she’d made, she spent a desperate half hour trying to reinsert the carrot threads back into their holes. Maybe they can still take root, she thought. She tried her best, smoothing out the soil around the plants when she was done, sprinkling them with water before she went back inside to tend to Zhongmei, who was still loudly demanding food.
    The first Sunday after that, Xiuying went into the garden to tend to her plants, and she saw the two rows of torn and wilted carrot heads. She investigated, and Zhongling told her what had happened, getting a good spanking for her mistake, while Zhongmei remained unscathed.
    “You’re the one screaming at me to tear out the carrots or you’ll die of hunger, and I’m the one that gets the beating,” Zhongling later told Zhongmei.
    “I’m sorry, Er-jie,” Zhongmei said. “I was too hungry to think.”
    Now, wearing the costume that Zhongling had made for her, feeling bad over her lack of appreciation for her wonderful second sister, Zhongmei began to cry.
    “What’s the matter?” Zhongling asked. “Don’t you like the dress?”
    “I love it,” Zhongmei said. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
    “Well, what’s the matter, then?” Zhongling asked.
    “I feel bad because Mama spanked you after you ruined her carrot bed,” Zhongmei said as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. “You were just trying to find me something to eat.”
    “You’re still thinking of that?” Zhongling asked, amazed.
    “I feel terrible about it,” Zhongmei said, looking down. “You pulled out every carrot and there wasn’t a single one to eat.”
    “Well, I forgive you,” Zhongling said, smiling. “I guess.”
    Zhongqin came into the room from the kitchen. “Life is going to be a lot less trouble with you gone,” she said, then, when Zhongmei’s face darkened with worry, she hastily added, “Hey! I’m only joking.”
    “Well, if everybody’s right that I have no chance at the audition, I’ll be back pretty soon,” Zhongmei said, “so you might not have to miss me.”
    “In that case we’ll be happy if you come back and happy if you don’t,” Zhongqin exclaimed. “What could be better?”
    The three sisters’ peals of laughter could be heard all the way to the lane outside. They laughed and laughed and laughed and fell into one another’s arms.

5
Second Thoughts
    T he two girls got off the bus in Hegang, which was about the same as Baoquanling, with one large intersection, a few large buildings, and flat, open agricultural fields stretching into the distance. They stood for a while in the dusty station, looking for the bus to Jiamusi. Every once in a while a bus would pull in; other buses pulled out, leaving clouds of stinging blue-gray smoke in their wake.
    “There it is!” Zhongqin shouted, and sure enough there was a bus arriving with the Chinese characters for Jiamusi